A SIND LAKE. A427 
and sew up their eyes; but in the case of those I have examined 
I am glad to say I have never seen such cruelty perpetrated. 
The natives are adepts at spearing fish, which, when the fish 
are at some little depth, is no easy matter, on account of the 
refraction; part of the equipment of every boat being two or more 
spears, and a stone on which to sharpen their points. 
I always used to look forward to evening flighting, not only 
from a sporting point of view, but on account of the varied bird- 
life which is to be seen on such occasions; the shooting being 
always from a boat more or less concealed amongst the reeds. 
I will take from my notes an account of an evening’s flighting 
at the end of February last:—“About 4.30 I took up my 
position amongst the high reeds. The first to come over were 
one or two stragglers (Duck), and then the usual enormous flocks 
of Duck pass by, flying high overhead from the direction of the 
Indus, the first intimation of their approach being the rushing 
noise caused by their wings; after this, or perhaps a little before, 
some large flocks of Glossy Ibis flying slowly in a single undu- 
lating line pass close by; one slowly unfolds one of its long legs 
and leisurely scratches its head, the whole operation appearing very 
ludicrous ; all the time one or two Harriers hunt leisurely over 
the reeds, ready to pick up any wounded victim to the gun. A 
Gull or two pass over; especially noticeable is the large Black- 
headed Larus ichthyaetus; then comes a flock of graceful small 
White Egrets; on one occasion I shot one for identification, 
which turned out to be Herodias intermedia. I also watch with 
interest the fishing of the Blue Kingfisher, A. ispida, and perhaps 
A. bengalensis, and the Pied Kingfisher, Ceryle rudis. (I might 
also have seen the lovely Halcyon smyrnensis, but as I am trans- 
eribing from my notes on this particular occasion, I did not). 
Many Wagtails of two or three species flit about the reed-covered 
surface of the water. The hoarse loud-note of the Pied Warblers, 
Acrocephalus stentorius, is constantly heard, but although close to 
me, I can only occasionally catch a glimpse of one amongst the 
reeds. ‘The little Warblers (Phylloscopus tristis) flit rapidly in 
and out amongst the rushes, and, if I do not move, they allow me 
to admire their ceaseless activity almost within an arm’s length, 
As the evening gets on, the croaking of the Frogs and chirping of 
the Grasshoppers (?) keep up a perpetual monotonous concert 
with the splashing and cackling of the noisy Purple Gallinules. 
